Diocese of Wichita priest on administrative leave following an initial review of child sex abuse allegations
Fr. Michel Schemm, ordained in 1993, has been placed on administrative leave and restricted from ministerial duties. The Wichita Diocesan Review Board made these recommendations after an initial review of a child sex abuse report. Fr. Shemm had been working as a pastor at the Church of the Resurrection in Bel Aire. In a statement, the Diocese said that the allegations against the cleric were reported to law enforcement.
By our count, Fr. Schemm is the 108th Catholic priest to be accused of sexual abuse or misconduct this year. This number does not reflect all of those named in civil lawsuits. On average, about 10 Catholic clergy members or staffers are accused each month and an average of two per month are criminally charged.
We know that false allegations of sexual abuse are extremely rare and that perpetrators seldom have just one victim. It seems to us that in the interest of openness and transparency, Catholic officials owe it to the faithful at the Church of the Resurrection, as well as parishioners at the priest's previous assignments, including his first assignment at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Wichita, to notify them of the allegations.
The Diocese should also post the statement given to the media regarding this case on their website. It seems irresponsible for the information not to be readily accessible to people looking for the names of those accused of abuse in Wichita. If Catholic officials are sincere about openness and non-tolerance of abuse of any kind, they would take the necessary steps to inform as many in the flock as possible. We urge Church leaders in Wichita to remedy this quickly.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager, (267-261-0578, [email protected]) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President, (814-341-8386, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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